Souls
by ajfankeith
Summary: Sequel to "Have We Met Before", telling the story of Aaron and Robert's souls, which met in a past life with Archie and Roderick
1. Chapter 1

Souls - Chapter 1

 _-O-_

 _DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

 _-O-_

"You still haven't told me about Archie and Roderick," Robert looked at his husband as they settled down in their bed.

Aaron knew that Robert was referring to the two people that they had seen after their regression experience with a spiritualist, but he looked at him quizzically, "What about them?"

"When we went for a walk in the woods earlier and found the two hearts carved into a tree, you said that they had a happy ending. How did you know that?"

Aaron looked deep in thought, "I know that Archie wasn't able to read and write, yet he wrote on the tree when he inscribed that second heart. So, I assume Rod taught him. Then there were the things that the old man told us in the pub. That means that they must have been together for a long time, doesn't it?"

Robert looked at Aaron's face...it was the face that he loved. At that moment, Aaron looked content and satisfied and Robert knew that his husband had certain knowledge that Archie and Rod had been happy, "I guess it does," he smiled reassuringly before passionately kissing his husband on the lips.

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Archie Dingle rolled over onto his side and stretched out his right arm to the other side of the double bed. He could feel nothing but bed linen. No lover's warm skin, no soft, blond hairs against his fingers...nothing but crisp sheets.

He opened his beautiful blue eyes and gazed at the empty pillow next to him. But, he did not feel abandoned or lonely. His lover, Roderick Sugden, had told him that he would have to leave early, so he was expecting to wake up alone. Archie caught sight of a small piece of paper on Rod's pillow and he picked it up. Archie was unable to read, but Rod had drawn a heart shape and a 'u' on the paper and Archie felt a warm glow as he knew that Rod was, in a unique way, telling him that he loved him. The young doctor had started to teach Archie how to read and write and he recognised the 'u' and Rod had told him it was pronounced the same as the word 'you'. The heart, of course, symbolised love in any language.

Rod had booked them into a hotel for an overnight stay. It was killing both of them that they could not display their love openly for fear of being arrested. The year was nineteen hundred and nineteen and sexual relationships between men were illegal in Britain, so they had to tread carefully. Rod could not share a bed with Archie at his home as he was still married to his wife Ruby. Neither could they use the bed in Archie's room as his landlady, Mrs Davies, tended to breathe Christianity over any callers to the house. The risk of being caught was too great. Even Archie's sister, Lily, with whom he lodged, did not know about their relationship and would start asking questions if Rod stayed in Archie's room all night.

Archie knew that the hotel room was paid for in advance, so he could go whenever he wanted and the hotel staff would not stop him leaving the premises and ask for payment. So he relaxed a little and took advantage of a bit of a lie in. He snuggled into the sheets and, gazing up at the ceiling, his head comfortably cushioned by his pillow, he thought back to the previous night. He had made love to Rod for hours as they wrestled naked in their bed. They both delighted in their physical differences. Archie was solid and well-built, with big pectoral muscles that Rod loved to caress as he kissed and licked the firm nipples, sending electric bolts through his lover's athletic body. They had gone on to partake in some activities which Archie had heard people refer to as 'unnatural practices', but he did not understand how penetrating and being penetrated by your lover could be unnatural: and to him it felt like the most natural thing in the world, to physically bond with your lover. Archie ran his hand through his thick, dark hair, making his muscular bicep bulge as the memories of their night of passion came flooding back to him.

Archie was dark-haired and Rod was blond and they were fascinated by the differences in each other. Rod was not as thick-set as Archie, but he still had plenty of muscles, albeit more slender than his lover's. Rod was also the taller of the two, but there wasn't a huge difference in their height.

Archie's thoughts then drifted back to the time that he and Rod had first met. He had woken up in a field hospital after being rescued from a fierce battle. The first face that he saw when he regained consciousness was Rod's. He knew in that instant that he was attracted to the handsome young doctor, but had no idea that Rod would ever look at him in the same way too. Rod comforted Archie when it was found that Archie's closest army comrade had been killed in the battle that had injured him. In truth, Archie had developed a crush on Private William Burgess: Bill to his friends. Bill was as rough and ready as Archie, but he had a tender heart underneath his manly, gruff exterior. He had been quite a handsome lad, with dark hair, long sideburns and deep, brooding brown eyes. In truth, Archie felt attracted to Bill sexually and did not fully understand his feelings. On one occasion, as they had huddled together for warmth under a blanket, both Archie and Bill had become aroused with the close physical contact. Fully clothed, they had rubbed their crotches together until they both climaxed, but no mention was made of it between them afterwards. Archie had harboured hopes of a repeat and maybe to take things further, but then Bill had been killed in the line of duty.

Archie quickly discovered that Rod was married, so he never imagined that any kind of sexual relationship could develop between them. Then, one night when it was all quiet and Rod sat chatting to Archie, the young soldier told Rod about his experience with Bill. He felt comfortable with Rod and had the confidence to tell him practically anything. Rod listened to Archie pouring his heart out about the close friend that he had lost and was not only sympathetic, but also intrigued. Rod knew that he had his own latent feelings for other men and he was strongly attracted to handsome Archie.

Archie and his sister Lily had a tough upbringing. They lived in a poor area of Norwich when they were children. The city centre was brimming with slums and Archie, Lily and their parents lived in one of the city's many yards. Homes were crammed into small yards leading off the major streets and behind ageing properties within the old city wall. There were hundreds of these yards: each of which could house up to 30 people, in impoverished and sometimes unsanitary conditions.

Their parents died at quite a young age, which was not unusual in that era, especially in areas of poverty and poor medical facilities. Archie was called up to join the army at the beginning of the war. Their late mother had been in service at a large house as a scullery maid and Lily was lucky enough to be taken on after her mother died, so Archie felt that his sister would be alright while he was away. Archie did not have any proper schooling, so his lack of reading and writing skills would hinder him in finding employment if he survived the war.

Archie thought back to his revealing talk with Rod about his friend Bill. He could tell that Rod was compassionate and was on his side. He had worried that Rod would tell the authorities that he had taken part in an illegal sexual act with another man, but he felt that he could trust him. Rod started to get very tactile with him, over and above the physical contact necessary between doctor and patient. One night, Archie had been upset about Bill and the young doctor had hugged him tightly, trying to soothe him. When Rod drew back to look into Archie's wonderful blue eyes, the urge to kiss him was too great and their lips met for the first time. Archie was very surprised by the kiss, but he kissed back: hard. They were both aware of the reason why they were doing this: they were strongly attracted to each other. At first, it had all been furtive glances and innocent conversation, but it became more passionate whenever the couple could find a place where they could be alone. They both knew that they wanted each other physically as well as emotionally, but they needed to hide their love from prying eyes.

The war was nearly at an end, so they made plans to meet up after the war. Lily's employers had moved to a house in Leeds and Lily moved with them as there was nothing to keep her in Norwich anymore. However, her employers did not have a room for her at their new house but they had an acquaintance, Mrs Davies, who let rooms at her house nearby. When Archie returned home from the war, Mrs Davies let him rent the room next to Lily's, as it was vacant, so they were reunited.

Rod had returned to his home and his wife in Leeds. He and Archie, almost by coincidence, ended up in the same city and Rod would invite Archie to his house as a guest. Rod's wife Ruby did not suspect that there was any relationship between her husband and Archie other than a professional one. She did find it a little odd that Rod seemed to be giving special attention to Archie, but put it down to the strong bond that soldiers developed between themselves during wartime and military service. She could not have imagined in her wildest dreams that Rod would want sexual relations with another man.

Archie climbed out of bed and pulled on his clothes. He realised that he had been daydreaming and it was time for him to vacate the room. He made sure that he had the train ticket in his pocket that Rod had given him so that he could return home from the hotel. He walked to the station and stood on the platform, waiting for his train back to Leeds. Before long, he could hear the familiar chuffing and wheezing of the steam locomotive that was pulling his train.

He sat, looking out of the window at the rolling countryside and his thoughts once more turned to the previous night. Rod had assured him that he loved him and he was going to tell Ruby that he no longer wished to be married to her. Archie knew Ruby and, being a decent sort, he was upset that Rod was going to break her heart, but his sadness was eased by the joyful knowledge that Rod would soon be his.

He smiled as he gazed out of the window. He wanted to climb onto the roof of the train and shout to the whole world that he loved Roderick Sugden, but he knew that he must keep his secret locked away forever in his heart.

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Rod had left the hotel early as he was due to attend the hospital as part of his work, so he went there first before going back home.

When he eventually arrived home he found a note, in Ruby's handwriting, waiting for him on the small table in their hallway. It said that his wife had gone to visit her parents as her father was ill. She expected to be gone for a couple of days. Rod immediately saw this as an opportunity to see Archie again, even though he had just returned from a trip away with his lover. So he arranged for a cab to take him to Archie's address in Macclesfield Terrace. When he arrived, Mrs Davies wanted another free consultation about her housemaid's knee before Rod could get up the stairs to Archie's room, so he indulged her as it was easier than trying to refuse to talk to her.

Eventually, he managed to prise himself free from the landlady and made it to Archie's room. His lover was surprised but delighted to see him again so soon. Once Rod was safely inside the room, they closed the door and Rod swept Archie into his arms and they kissed passionately.

When they broke apart, Archie looked into Rod's eyes, "How did Ruby take the news?" he asked.

"I haven't had a chance to tell her yet," Rod replied.

Archie looked crestfallen, "You got cold feet you mean. You can't force yourself to leave her, can you?"

Rod was heartbroken by the sad look on Archie's face and wanted to reassure him straight away, "Listen to me, my love, I am still going to leave her, but she's gone away to see her parents: it sounds like her father is ill. I'll tell her when she returns. I've come to ask if you'll stay with me while she's away."

Archie was relieved and he smiled again, "I thought you were going to say you'd changed your mind and you still loved her after all."

Rod tenderly put his hands either side of Archie's face, "My darling Archie, you've stolen my heart and, because you keep it locked away inside you: with your heart, it can never belong to anyone else."

Archie fell into Rod's arms. He knew that Rod was being honest with him. It would be a tough job for Rod to tell Ruby that he wanted to leave her, but he felt sure that Rod would do just that...no question.


	2. Chapter 2

Souls - Chapter 2

 _-O-_

 _DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

 _-O-_

After their trip to Stonebridge Point, Aaron and Robert returned home. On their first night back in their own bed, after making love to each other as usual, Aaron looked deep into Robert's eyes.

Robert stared back into two wonderful blue pools that had transfixed him since the moment that he had first laid eyes on them. Suddenly, a flashback jumped into his mind, like a light bulb bursting into life, "Archie had blue eyes: just like yours."

Aaron frowned, "Where did that come from?"

Robert was a bit perplexed by the sudden memory of the couple from the early nineteen hundreds, "I don't know! I just had this sudden feeling that I was looking into Archie's eyes. He was saying 'our hearts belong together now' as I was looking into them and I knew that it was unusual for him to say something like that. Isn't that weird?"

"Weird is not the word," Aaron grimaced, "Ever since that spiritualist got inside our heads, we've both been fruit loops!"

Robert chuckled, but then turned serious, "Do you think it's possible that people are reincarnated? We could have been lovers before, all those years ago."

"Shut up, Robert!" Aaron felt uncomfortable and was unnerved by something he did not understand.

"Sorry," Robert embraced his husband and cuddled him.

Aaron always felt comforted by his soul mate, "It still gives me the creeps a bit."

"I know," Robert was totally sympathetic, "Let's get some sleep, shall we?"

They kissed and settled down for the night.

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Archie came to. For a moment, he wondered where he was. He did not recognise the furniture in the room, but as he roused he realised that he was in Rod's bedroom. Rod's wife Ruby had gone away and he was sharing Rod's bed. He looked at his lover's side of the bed but it was empty and he was about to climb out and go searching for him when the door opened and Rod appeared with a tray laden with breakfast.

"Good morning, my darling man," Rod was grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Archie replied, unable to resist replying with another term of endearment. They both felt relaxed in their own space where nobody would interrupt them.

Rod slipped out of his dressing gown, leaving him nude. He then slipped into bed with an equally naked Archie and they shared breakfast. Archie opted for toast and marmalade while Rod tucked into a boiled egg.

When they had finished eating and had drunk their morning beverages, Archie gazed into Rod's eyes, "You know when you said your heart was in here, with my heart?" he spread the fingers of his right hand and placed the hand across his big chest.

"Yes?" Rod wondered what Archie was going to say and looked deep into his blue eyes.

"Our hearts belong together now," Archie said, softly, as if he had just given away a secret.

Rod could not remember Archie saying something so profoundly romantic before, "Oh, Archie, I do love you," he kissed him fiercely and his lover responded passionately.

When they ended the kiss, Rod stroked Archie's lovely, thick hair, "Our hearts will be joined as one forever, throughout eternity. A love as strong as ours can never die. Our lives will end one day: that is the nature of life, but our love and our souls will live on: bound together tightly until the end of time."

"Rod?"

"What, my love?"

"I wish I could say those words to you, you are so much better educated than me."

Rod took Archie's hand and their fingers intertwined, "You don't need to utter romantic prose for me to know how you feel. I know, because I feel the same. Words are a good way of expressing our emotions, but a love as deep as ours is conveyed by deeds, not words."

They kissed again, both knowing how they felt about each other. Rod was right: words were not needed.

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Ruby returned home after visiting her parents. Rod was literally dreading her return as he was going to tell her that their marriage was over. He sat her down in their drawing room on a comfortable fireside chair. He could have opted to sit in the chair on the other side of the fireplace, but he was so nervous that he paced up and down instead.

Ruby could tell that something was amiss, "What's the matter? Have I done something wrong?"

"Good heavens, no!" Rod did not want Ruby to blame herself in any way, "What I am about to tell you is all my doing. I can't help it, but I am afraid that I am unable to carry out my duties as a husband. I am leaving you, Ruby, so that you will be free to find someone else."

Ruby stood up and crossed the room to Rod and stared at him, "But, I don't want anyone else! What are you talking about? We're married. You can't just walk out."

"I know this is hurting you and, believe me, I'm so sorry. But I can't keep up this sham any longer."

"You've found another woman, haven't you?"

Rod looked at Ruby steadily, "I can promise you, hand on heart, that I have not found another woman."

"Then, why do you want to leave? Why don't you love me anymore?"

"I do care for you," Rod tried to soften the blow, "but I cannot make love to you and I know it upsets you that I cannot."

"This is to do with Archie, isn't it?"

Rod panicked a little, for a moment he thought that Ruby had guessed his secret, "No! Why do you say that?"

"He's young, free and single and you want the life that he has. You are jealous that he can play the field and have his pick of women and you want to do the same."

"No, that's not it."

Ruby did not believe him, "I can see through you," she said, confident that she had worked it out in her head.

Rod did not want to spell out the nature of his relationship with Archie, but he was desperately trying to explain his reasons for leaving without uncovering the whole truth. He did not know how Ruby would react if she knew that he had fallen in love with another man. For all he knew, she could act like a woman scorned and report him to the authorities and he did not want to risk that. He looked away, unable to focus on Ruby's sorrowful face, "I'm sorry," he said, rather pathetically.

Ruby burst into tears and rushed out of the room. Rod heard her climbing the stairs, but decided not to follow her. He thought that a few moments of contemplation might help both of them.

Half an hour later, he heard Ruby coming down the stairs again. He thought that maybe she had calmed down, but realised that he was mistaken when he went out into the hallway and saw that she had her bags packed.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Back to my parent's house," Ruby answered, curtly.

"I should be the one moving out," Rod had an apologetic tone in his voice: "I'm the one who has caused all the upset."

"I know that things have not been right, but I've been fooling myself. If you really loved me, you would be able to consummate our marriage, but I realise now that it will never happen," Ruby looked Rod in the eye, "My father still needs looking after, so I'm going to go back to help to relieve the burden on my mother: she cannot cope on her own. I'm not needed here."

"I'm sorry," Rod repeated.

"So am I," Ruby retorted. She was determined not to cry again as she did not want to appear weak. She still had her pride.

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With Ruby out of the house, Rod once more invited Archie to stay with him. Of course, Archie was only too pleased to live with his lover on a more permanent basis.

After a few weeks, they settled into a routine. Rod went out to work as usual every day and Archie, being unemployed, took care of all the chores and ran the house. Rod would find time in the evenings to help Archie with his reading and writing and he was learning fast. As Rod had suspected, he was a bright lad but had never had the opportunity to learn due to his impoverished background when he was young. He never once made Archie feel inadequate whenever he made mistakes, although on one occasion he had to stifle a laugh when Archie had attempted to write him a note about a burst pipe and had misspelt 'flooded': he had written 'fludid' instead. But, with Rod's kind and patient tuition, Archie was soon getting past his early mistakes and could soon recite the alphabet and spell words correctly.

All good things come to an end and the couple's life of domestic bliss was shattered one Saturday morning. Rod had the day off work and they took advantage of the fact, having a leisurely lie-in, naked in their bed. As always, their desire for each other knew no bounds and they made love for hours. However, they had not reckoned on Ruby turning up, unannounced. She still had a house key, so she let herself in, walked quietly up the stairs to collect some clothes from her wardrobe and promptly walked in on Rod and Archie: in bed and in all their naked glory! She screamed and ran out of the room. Rod quickly pulled on his dressing gown and gave chase.

He caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs. She was beside herself and he poured a brandy for her to steady her nerves. She sat in the fireside chair, shaking and almost spilling her drink.

"What in God's good name is going on?" she asked, almost incoherently.

Rod tried desperately to cover his tracks, "It wasn't what it looked like," he said, "we were just wrestling: that's all."

Ruby had suddenly seen the light. Rod's impotence with her and the real reason for his wish to separate from her suddenly began to make sense, plus she could tell that he was making excuses for being found naked in their bedroom with another man.

She calmed down with the effects of the brandy and looked at Rod, "I've heard of these things, but I scarcely believed that they actually went on. A man is not supposed to do such things with another man: it's disgusting!"

"It is not disgusting," Rod knew that Ruby now knew the truth and there was no point in hiding it anymore, "I love Archie and he loves me, how is that disgusting?"

"But," Ruby was trying to rationalise it all in her head, "You are two men. How can you love each other?"

"Love does not belong exclusively to partners of the opposite sex," Rod almost felt that he was starting a lecture: something he had often done in a medical capacity. He then looked at Ruby with a worried frown, "I suppose you are going to tell the world about the things that you have witnessed here today? Archie and I will go to prison."

Ruby set her empty glass down and rose from her chair. For a few moments, she considered reporting Rod and Archie to the authorities. But, although she was hurting, she was an intelligent and level-headed woman. She decided that ruining Rod's life would not suit any purpose and, despite everything, she was actually fond of Archie, "Look, Roderick, I am not a vindictive person. In a way, I am glad that I now understand why you've been frigid towards me and why you want to leave me. I now realise it is not my fault..."

"I already told you that you were not to blame..."

Ruby stopped Rod in his tracks, "Listen to me: let me have my say. I know it is considered a sin, but we can get a divorce. The real reason: which is your adultery with Archie, does not have to be mentioned. The divorce might be granted on the grounds of non-consummation, which is the truth anyway. As long as you admit that our marriage has not been consummated, you will be the cause of the break-up and I will not have to face the shame and humiliation of causing the divorce, as it will be proved that I am not in the wrong."

"You would do that for me?" Rod asked.

"In spite of what you have done, Roderick, I still love you. You are a kind, compassionate man. You cannot help it if your inclinations are in that direction. I don't fully understand it, but I don't want to ruin your life. After we have separated and divorced, I'll be free...and so will you."

Rod moved to embrace Ruby but she backed away, "Don't touch me! I never want you to touch me again or to see you again after today. I'll arrange to have the rest of my things collected from the house."

Rod watched Ruby leave with tears in his eyes. He had not wanted to upset her and was genuinely sorry that things had not worked out between them. But, he took comfort in the fact that neither of them were living in a sham marriage anymore.

After Ruby closed the front door behind her, Archie appeared, wrapped in his dressing gown. He knew how tough it had been for Rod to split up with Ruby, "Are you alright?" he asked as he embraced his lover.

"I didn't want to hurt her," Rod sobbed as Archie hugged him and stroked Rod's hair with one hand and his back with the other.

"I know, sweetheart, I know," Archie cooed in Rod's ear, trying to take his beloved's anguish away.


	3. Chapter 3

Souls - Chapter 3

 _-O-_

 _DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

 _-O-_

It was still dark when Aaron stirred and looked at the clock. He relaxed as he had an hour before he needed to get up for work.

"Aaron, are you awake?" Robert spoke softly in the gloom.

"Yeah, we haven't got to get up yet, go back to sleep."

"I've just had the strangest dream," Robert said.

Aaron could tell that going back to sleep was no longer an option, so he switched on the bedside lamp, "What about?" he asked.

"Have you ever heard of panel doctors?"

"Panel beaters...yes, but not doctors." Aaron chuckled and Robert pulled a face at his husband's flippant remark.

"Well, I was Roderick again in this dream..."

Aaron butted in, "I thought you had stopped dreaming about those two?"

"I had...until now," Robert replied, "but we were in that big house in Stonebridge Point and I was a general practitioner, treating some people called panel patients. But, I've never heard of such a thing."

"Was Archie in the dream?"

"No, but I knew he was nearby, I could just feel that we were together in that house."

"Well, we know that Roderick was a doctor," Aaron ran his hand over Robert's chest, "so he must have seen patients in that house, I suppose."

"Yeah, I expect so, but why should it suddenly come to me in a dream?"

Aaron leaned in to kiss Robert. His husband had often consoled him when he was unnerved by a dream and he was only too happy to return the favour, "I don't know, babe, I suppose there are a lot of suppressed memories that were stirred up when we went to see that spiritualist. I guess it is taking a while for them to come out."

Robert thought that Aaron's statement made a lot of sense, but at that moment he was more interested in kissing his gorgeous husband again: so he did.

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"What do we do now?" Archie cuddled Roderick in their bed. The previous day, Ruby had arranged to clear her furniture and other chattels from the marital home.

Rod looked deep in thought, "Well, we need to formulate a plan of action. Ruby is going to keep quiet about our relationship, but tongues still might still start to wag, especially as we have people round here that know us both. I think we need to move out of the area: miles away."

"What about my sister, Lily?"

"She can come with us if she wants: I don't want to be the cause of breaking you two up. We can find a place for all three of us."

"I liked it at Stonebridge Point," Archie ran his hand affectionately up Rod's arm, "Nobody knows us there."

"It will depend if they need a doctor around there," Rod was being practical, "I can go anywhere as long as I can set up a general practice. I can take on panel patients for a steady income and private patients to make more money. We will get by."

"I wish I was clever like you," Archie looked a little forlorn.

"You _are_ clever, my darling boy," Rod looked at Archie with deep affection in his eyes, "you are doing so well with your reading and writing."

Archie knew that Rod was trying to make him feel better about himself, "Oh, Rod, I do love you."

They kissed and then Rod drew back so that he could look into the beautiful blue eyes that he adored, "I love you too Archie. I've loved you from the first moment that they brought you into the hospital and I've loved you for every moment since."

Archie snuggled into Rod's arms. He felt that his lover's arms were the only place that he truly belonged.

The next day, Rod returned home from work with a smile on his face. He kissed Archie in greeting.

Archie looked at him and could see that he was very happy, "You look very pleased with yourself," he said.

"That's because I am," Rod could not stop grinning, "I made some enquiries today and I found that the doctor in Stonebridge Point is retiring. He's selling his house and moving away. I've set the wheels in motion to buy his house and take on his patient list. It looks like your dream of living in Stonebridge Point is coming true."

"Fantastic!" Archie exclaimed as he threw his arms around Rod and kissed him passionately.

They celebrated in their favourite way, in bed. After making love, Rod looked at Archie as they lay naked together, "I suppose we should be waiting until we know that my application has been successful...before we start celebrating."

"We can celebrate, no matter what. We'll move somewhere anyway: where we can be together. Got to look on the bright side, ain't yer?" Archie chirruped.

Rod pulled his lover tightly to himself, "Oh Archie, you always see the good in any situation, that's one of the things I love about you."

They kissed.

"If we move to that house in Stonebridge Point, will there be room for Lily?" Archie asked.

"Yes, there will be plenty of room: it has four bedrooms, so Lily will have her pick after we've picked ours."

"She'll have to find a job...come to that, so will I."

"Don't worry about any of that. I make enough money to support us until you both find work. Actually, Lily is good at domestic work, so I could take her on as a housekeeper: it sounds like a big place to keep clean."

Archie cuddled Rod, "It's so great making plans for our future."

"It is!"

Archie suddenly looked a little concerned, "How will we explain about living together though. How do we hide 'the love that dare not speak its name'?"

"It will be alright," Rod ran his fingers through Archie's hair, "I'll tell people that you are my lodger. No-one will suspect, why should they?"

Archie let out a contented sigh.

Rod soon received confirmation that he had been selected to take over as general practitioner in Stonebridge Point and the sale of the house also went through. They were all excited about starting a new life and, on moving day, they were surrounded by tea-chests in the sitting room of their new home. Lily was like a giddy schoolgirl and flitted around the place from room to room.

"For goodness sake, keep still Lily!" Archie chastised his younger sister but she was obviously delighted that she would be living in such a large house. With her and Archie's start in life, it was not surprising that she felt a little light-headed. She reappeared in the sitting room and looked at Rod and Archie, "Which bedroom are you two going to have upstairs then?"

Archie tried to be coy, "What do you mean? What makes you think we'll be in the same room?"

Lily looked at them steadily, "I've got eyes in my head. I've seen the way you two look at each other. I know how you feel about one and other."

Rod and Archie looked at each other in astonishment: Lily was obviously more sagacious than either of them had given her credit for.

Archie looked at his little sister, "You don't mind about us?"

Lily looked a little bashful, "I don't understand it fully, but what I do know is that Rod makes you happy...and what happens within these walls is nobody else's business."

Archie and Rod moved to embrace Lily and they shared a group hug. The couple knew that they could display their love openly in their own house and they had Lily's blessing and she would be discreet.

The three of them settled into Mill Cottage at Stonebridge Point. Rod was the general practitioner, Lily took on the role of housekeeper and Archie found work as a farm labourer, just up the road.

The years rolled by and Lily met a local man, Reginald Payne, who owned Point Cottage where Rod and Archie stayed when they first visited the village. Reginald was well-off and also owned the Crown and Sceptre public house. Lily and Reginald married and had two children, Doris and Clarence. Sadly, Reginald was killed in the second world war. When they became adults, Doris and Clarence moved away to other towns.

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Aaron came to with a start. He looked at the clock and saw that is was four in the morning. He had been dreaming that he was Archie again but something had been different. He was older and he had a niece and nephew, Doris and Clarence Payne. He knew the names, even though he had never heard them before. He grabbed his phone and made a note of the names on it, while he still remembered them.

He heard Robert's voice "What's up?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep."

"Come on, babe, you don't fool me. You've had another dream, haven't you?"

"Yes, Archie's sister had two children. They could still be alive somewhere."

The next morning, at the breakfast table, Robert was reading the local paper when a headline caught his eye, "I see the council are trying to save money again. They want to close down an old folks' home in Hotten. What are these poor old souls supposed to do? They're too old to live on the streets."

"Let me see that," Aaron held out his hands and Robert passed him the newspaper. There was a picture accompanying the article, showing an elderly lady in a wheelchair and the caption 'Long-term resident Miss Doris Payne, eighty-seven, faces uncertain future if Rose Mount home closes."

"Oh my God!" Aaron gasped, "That's broken my dream!"

"What has?" Robert looked perplexed.

"The lady in this picture," Aaron pointed to it, "She has the same name as Archie's niece."

Robert looked at the name, "There must be hundreds of people with that name. What of it?"

"It's her!" Aaron was adamant, "This lady is eighty-seven years old. Archie's niece must have been born around the year nineteen-thirty. There can't be that many people of that age with that name."

"Aaron, she could be anyone. Just because she might have the same name, it doesn't mean it's her. Archie's niece and nephew could be dead by now, for all you know."

Aaron would not be deterred, "It's her, I know it is...I have a feeling in my bones. I'm going into Hotten: I've got to know for sure."

"Then I'm coming with you," Robert stood up as Aaron made for the door, "I'm going to enjoy seeing you get egg all over your face."

Aaron scowled but said nothing.

At first, the care home staff were sceptical about Aaron and Robert's credentials, but Robert could be very persuasive. He assured the matron that they were old friends of Doris' family and she allowed them in to see her.

Doris was sitting in her wheelchair, in the communal lounge. She had a round, kindly face and a shock of white, permed hair.

"Doris, you have two handsome young men who have come to see you," the matron said as she introduced Aaron and Robert. She ushered them to sit in two chairs either side of Doris.

Doris looked at them in astonishment, "I know you, don't I?"

"Do you?" Robert replied.

"No," Doris seemed disorientated, "it can't be."

"Who do you think we are?" Aaron asked.

Doris studied his face carefully, "You look for all the world like my Uncle Archie, when he was young: you have the same lovely eyes," she said, "but he died years ago."

Aaron looked at Robert, "I told you this was Lily's daughter."

"How do you know my mother's name?" Doris enquired.

"It's a long story," Aaron looked at Doris fondly, "we don't actually know each other, but I know that you were born in Stonebridge Point and your mother's name used to be Lily Dingle before she married. My name was Dingle before I got married," Aaron nodded towards Robert, "...and this is Robert Sugden."

Doris turned her attention to Robert, "You look so much like my Uncle Roderick. It's uncanny. Are you two together?"

"Yes," Aaron held up his hand to display his wedding ring, "we're married."

"Ah! You youngsters are so lucky. Back in the day, it was a sin for two men to be together."

"Like Archie and Roderick?" Aaron said.

Doris looked wistful, "They were good men, both of them. I was too young to understand it. I thought that Uncle Archie was Uncle Roderick's lodger...no more than that. Years later, my mother told me the truth about their relationship."

"How did you feel about it?" Robert asked.

"Like I said, they were lovely men. I loved them and it really didn't matter to me what they did in the privacy of their own home."

"Did they have a long and happy life?" Aaron asked.

"Oh yes," Doris replied, "Uncle Roderick lived to be eighty. Uncle Archie died a week later, my mother told me it was from a broken heart."

Aaron, with tears in his eyes, took Doris' hand in his own, "And what about you? Where will you go if they close this place?"

"I'll be alright, love," Doris smiled at him, she could see the look of concern on Aaron's face and could tell he was a caring soul, "my brother Clarence is in a home in the north-east and they've made arrangements for me to live there. We'll be reunited again...I'm quite looking forward to it."

Aaron and Robert thanked Doris for her time and headed home. Once back in their bedroom they looked at each other and Robert embraced Aaron, "Are you okay, babe? You looked a bit emotional at the home."

"Yeah I'm fine," Aaron reassured Robert with a quick peck on the lips, "I'm glad we went. Now I know for certain that Archie and Rod were happy. I feel a lot better now."

"It just goes to show," Robert hugged the love of his life, "when two souls meet and fall in love...they stay together for all time...the love of soul mates lasts forever."


End file.
